THE APPLICATION OF EIGHTEEN MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPLES IN MIDDLE SCHOOLS IN THE STATE OF NEBRASKA AND IN THE UNITED STATES (MIDDLE-LEVEL)

The American middle school has become an emerging trend in education since the 1960\u27s. Middle school is defined as an organization offering a program for grades over four but under nine. The purpose of this study was to determine the current level of application of eighteen middle school principles in middle schools in Nebraska and in randomly selected middle schools throughout the United States. These principles are considered important components of exemplary middle school programs. Specific research questions addressed were: (1) To what degree are the eighteen middle school principles being applied to middle schools in the state of Nebraska and in randomly sampled middle schools throughout the United States? (2) Are there significant differences in the application of the eighteen middle school principles in middle schools in Nebraska as compared to application of these principles in randomly sampled middle schools throughout the United States? (3) Among middle schools throughout the United States, are there differences in the application of middle school principles in 1986 as compared to 1980? (4) Are there differences in the findings among selected studies related to the application of middle school principles? A questionnaire survey instrument measured the application of eighteen middle school principles both in the Nebraska population and in a national sample of middle schools. Survey forms were returned by 21 of 22 (95.45 percent) principals in Nebraska and from 117 of 150 (78 percent) principals of the national sample. Findings and conclusions were: (1) Nebraska middle schools reported a slightly lower level of application (48.48 percent) of the eighteen middle school principles when compared to the 1986 national level of application of 51.51 percent. (2) This national survey of middle schools had a slightly lower level of application (51.51 percent) than the 1980 national survey (53.48 percent). It appears that the degree of application of the eighteen middle school principles among middle schools throughout the United States has changed little from 1970 to 1986